Two former Parramatta Eels players are accused of harbouring semi-automatic weapons and possessing more than half-a-million dollars in cash after dramatic arrests in Sydney's Centennial Park yesterday.

The man in charge of reviewing Victoria's controversial bail system was responsible for flipping a murderous hitman who went on to testify against notorious Melbourne gangland boss Carl Williams.

Today, with his government under incredible pressure following the bloody Bourke Street massacre, Victoria's Premier turned to the cool, pragmatic head of Paul Coghlan, QC.

Coghlan was Victoria's Director of Public Prosecutions in troubled times, from 2001 through to 2007, and launched a wave of prosecutions during the state's infamous "Underbelly" gangland war.

The former top silk was also known for reopening the case against pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale so he could prosecute him with more sex abuse charges, eventually adding 13 years to his jail term.

Coghlan sent down all sorts of criminal figures during a career spanning four decades, but the prosecution of boss Carl Williams, a murderer and drug trafficker, was arguably his biggest scalp.

Victorian state prosecutors had never negotiated a deal with a professional hitman until Coghlan met a man named "The Runner".

Carl Williams as he leaves the Melbourne Magistrate's Court after being granted bail after being charged with threatening to kill a detective who was investigating the "Gangland" murders. Carl Williams has died after he suffered head injuries and went into cardiac arrest at Barwon Prison on Monday, April 19, 2010.

"The Runner" was Williams' trusted gun for hire, and Coghlan understood the importance of turning him against a puppet master who issued contracts on the heads of his underworld foes.